Tanker Catches Fire in Strait of Hormuz as US Accuses Iran of Economic Warfare

An oil tanker caught fire after striking mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian military said, as Washington accused Tehran of waging economic warfare against the world.

The military’s account attributed the blaze to the vessel’s collision with mines. The information provided did not identify the tanker or establish who had laid the explosives.

No details were given about casualties, the extent of the damage or the status of efforts to contain the fire.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, meanwhile, said Iran was waging an economic war against the world with the aim of building nuclear weapons. That characterization was an accusation by the US official, not an independently established finding.

The available information did not establish a direct connection between Wright’s remarks and the tanker incident.